Energize Your Fitness Program


Hiring a Personal Trainer

By Tom Bonanti

  

 

The New Year is here. You’ve been fighting a head cold all throughout the holidays, you’ve put on five pounds since Thanksgiving, and you’re bored as hell with your old routine at the gym. Why not seek the assistance of a qualified personal trainer for at least a few sessions and leave your frustrations behind? More and more people are beginning to regard a personal trainer not as a luxury, but as an essential guide to health and wellness as well as a beautiful body.

So where do you find this person? Great glutes, perky pecs and a body-building trophy don’t mean squat if he doesn’t know anything more about fitness than how to stick a syringe of DecaDurabolan in his rump. Although not mandatory, the majority of competent trainers elect to become certified fitness professionals.

Certification requires taking courses and passing a detailed written exam on anatomy and physiology, exercise kinesiology, assisted stretching, etc. Several organizations certify personal trainers including the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). Such certifications require trainers to stay current with continuing education units and carry up-to-date liability insurance.

Certified or not, evaluate whether the trainer has a personality you enjoy. Who the hell wants to work out with “Little Mary Sunshine” at the crack of dawn on a Monday morning after a rough weekend? Who’d be sick enough to pay a Gestapo storm trooper to bark orders in the gym after a day of abuse at the office? Spend time observing trainers and talk with the ones you’ve scoped out. A trainer needs to deliver positive reinforcement as well as constructive criticism. He must sense when to be forceful and when to be gentle; when to push for that extra rep and when to pull back. You’re going to spend a bit of time and a few bucks with this person, so the two of you better have good chemistry.

Does your prospective trainer live the fitness lifestyle? Doing drugs, smoking, pigging out, and ending up face down drunk on the floor in a dark bar every weekend should not be regular activities in your trainer’s life. A trainer’s fit physique, good eating habits, positive attitude and clever motivational skills should inspire you to reach new fitness heights.

Check out your prospective trainer by evaluating references. Word of mouth is the best testimony, so talk to people who are presently engaging this trainer. Inquire about where he trains and ask about fee structures, time flexibility and availability. Most trainers offer a free first consultation. Take him up on it! Your health as well as your body can benefit by finding the right help. Go for it! 

 

TOM BONANTI IS A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND
OWNER OF PUMP’N INC GYM AT 1271 NE 9TH AVENUE
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33304, www.pumpnincgym.com.